There’s one thing you need to save for before you start investing, and that is an emergency fund. Problems happen all the time and a little extra free cash saved specifically for emergencies can get us out a lot of terrible financial situations. Aside from that, it lets us pursue excellent opportunities as well.

Here are a few reasons why you need an emergency fund. (Just think about the last time you thought about these things, and what you would do if any of these ever happen.)

Just like applying for a new job or starting a new business, investing always carries risk. While you can earn lots of money from well-chosen investments, you can also choose bad ones by mistake and lose a lot. Do you prefer safety and lower volatility, or do you prefer riskier and more volatile investments that can generate more income?

Here’s a short guide on how to choose investments based on your risk tolerance.

Disclaimer: Do your research! No matter how “safe” or “good” an investment is, it’s worthless if you get scammed because you didn’t study what you’re buying!

By the way, if you don’t know what the basic investments are, we suggest that you read these articles first: